Judicial review

To help inform the judges about LGBT issues, the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), in partnership with U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division, Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) conducted a focus group discussion to meet LGBT Filipino leaders.

The Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), in partnership with U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division, Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) conducted a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the LGBT Sector, on August 31 at the Supreme Court.

The activity was designed to gather information from LGBT participants regarding the LGBT sector, with the outputs from this activity said to serve as basis for the training curriculum of the Awareness Enhancement Seminar on LGBT for selected judges.

"If someone asked you about me, about what I do for a living, it's to 'weave words'," says Kiki Tan, who has been a writer "for as long as I care to remember." With this, this one writes about... anything and everything.

For LGBTQIA people, hate can – and does – start at home.

A global report noted that family members are often the main perpetrators of abuse against lesbians, bisexual women and transgender people.

British LGBTQIA organization Stonewall looked at data from 24 countries, and it found numerous countries where LGBTQIA people experienced abuse from family members.

For instance, respondents from Zimbabwe were more likely to suffer violence from relatives than from strangers. In the southern African nation, more than half of the people who took part in the two-year “Out of the Margins” project said they had experienced physical abuse at the hands of family members.

In Venezuela, all of the transgender men surveyed reported attacks by relatives. And – surprisingly – mothers in Venezuelan families were cited as the main aggressors by 71% of bisexuals and 48% of lesbians.

Meanwhile, in Trinidad and Tobago, Montenegro, Burundi and Peru, there were “striking levels of discrimination and violence against trans children and young people in schools”.

The abuses from family members impact the lives of LGBTQIA people, obviously.

In Burundi, for instance, respondents failed to finish their education after families kicked them out of their homes because of their sexuality or gender identity.

“Out of the Margins” examined the LGBTQIA situation across Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean from the perspective of five of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It focused on health, economic well-being, education, personal security and violence, and civic and political participation.

City of Manila marks Pride month; still has no anti-discrimination ordinance

This is the latest LGBTQIA-related PR initiative of the LGU. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the City of Manila initially eyed to hold its first “Manila Summer Pride” celebration as a tourism-centric event.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the City of Manila initially eyed to hold its first “Manila Summer Pride” celebration as a tourism-centric event.

However, the event was not completely well-received, with Manila’s local government unit (LGU) accused of “co-opting” the LGBTQIA struggle by focusing on just selling it as a “for-tourism” event.

The LGU – under the leadership of former actor and product endorser Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso – still has no anti-discrimination ordinance (ADO) to protect the human rights of its LGBTQIA constituents.

If Moreno is “really serious about wanting to support the LGBTQIA community, he should focus on passing an ADO, which will be longer-lasting, life-changing effects on his LGBTQIA constituents’ lives,” Tan was quoted as saying.

In October 2019, the Manila government also painted a pedestrian lane near its city hall with rainbow colors. In a Facebook live video showcasing this, Domagoso was quoted as saying that “we just want to show you in our own little way how sensitive we are with your plight.” However, the focus on partying again surfaced as he added that “tapos next year, pilitin natin sa araw ng Maynila, the biggest mardi gras parade.”

While Ligo Sardines’ efforts – particularly the social media promotion – may be called out as co-opting the rainbow, the company said that they just really wanted the LGBTQIA community to know “that we see you, we hear you, and we love you.”

For the first time, media-savvy Ligo Sardines – the company that has been regularly churning witty online ads while Philippines was in Covid-19 lockdown – has “made efforts to support the (LGBTQIA) community.”

In a Twitter post, the company – which is brandishing the rainbow flag in its profile – stated: “United by love, we can overcome any challenges our country faces. Love can achieve so much if we allow it to, but it must start with each and everyone of us. To our fellow kababayans and everyone else around the world, we are here for you and we love you.”

United by love, we can overcome any challenges our country faces.

Love can achieve so much if we allow it to, but it must start with each and everyone of us.

Interviewed by Outrage Magazine via Twitter, Michael Tung, VP for advertising of Ligo Sardines, said that “ever since I started working in Ligo two years ago, it was always a goal of mine to support the community in some capacity as I’ve always been a strong supporter of theirs and what they stand for.”

The company actually “had bigger plans set for this initially, unfortunately the pandemic started (before) we could push through with our plans.”

But at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company donated about 10 to 15 cases of Ligo products to the Home for the Golden Gays in Pasay City, after Tung’s sister-in-law noted that they were greatly affected by Covid-19. “Some of the people there were jobless and food supplies were running low. So we donated as fast as we could.”

As a company, Tung said that Ligo Sardines has also been supportive of its LGBTQIA staff.

“We have quite a number of (LGBTQIA) employees who have been with us for years. We take pride that we don’t discriminate, so should anyone from the (LGBTQIA) community want to apply, they’re welcome to do so. We treat all our employees here as family, given the fact that this business has been a family owned business for over 65 years,”

Also, “as far as policies go, yes we do have same-sex benefits. And as far as I’m aware, this has always been the case.”

While Ligo Sardines’ efforts – particularly the social media promotion – may be called out as co-opting the rainbow, Tung said that “to clarify, I never showed support for the (LGBTQIA) community for profit, I just really wanted the community to know that we see you, we hear you, and we love you. Because that’s what Ligo has always been about: Love. We just wanted everyone to know that we love every one – in it’s rawest and purest form.”

Asked if Ligo Sardines has future plans in helping the LGBT community re: pushing for anti-discrimination bill/law in the Philippines; pushing for marriage equality in the Philippines; and pushing for gender recognition law in the Philippines, among others, Tung said: “First and foremost, it is important for people to remember that Ligo is in the food manufacturing business. So while I do believe and support the things… mentioned, there is a right way with doing it wherein it makes sense for the company. In my case, as head of advertising, it’s about finding the right message and execution in your ad where people can learn more about the (LGBTQIA) rights, marriage equality, and gender recognition, and hope that one day, it’ll help the Philippines come one step closer to a better tomorrow.”

In the end, “As a business, if you have a platform to educate and inform your followers, do so. We’re a long way from an ideal world, but I believe it must always start with having a conversation. So don’t take your platform and followers for granted, use it to better the world,” Tung ended.

Straight cisgender people more likely to be open-minded, accepting if they see LGBTQIA people in media

Those who have seen LGBTQIA representation are more accepting of gay and lesbian people than those who haven’t (48% to 35%). They are also more accepting of bisexual people (45% to 31%), and of non-binary people (41% to 30%).

Straight cisgender people more likely to be open-minded and accepting if they see LGBTQIA people in the media. This is according to a study by US media organization GLAAD.

GLAAD’s researchers surveyed 2,031 non-LGBTQIA Americans (those who saw LGBTQIA people in the media, and those who say they have not seen LGBTQIA media representation recently). They found 80% of those who saw LGBTQIA representation are more supportive of equal rights, compared to 70% of those who haven’t seen LGBTQIA people in the media.

For the companies jumping into the rainbow bandwagon: 85% of the straight, cisgender respondents think that companies who include LGBTQIA people in their advertising are showing their “commitment to offering products to all types of customers”.

According to Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD: “The findings of this study send a strong message to brands and media outlets. Including (LGBTQIA) people in ads, films, and TV is good for business and good for the world.”

Other findings include:

Those who have seen LGBTQIA representation are more accepting of gay and lesbian people than those who haven’t (48% to 35%).

They are also more accepting of bisexual people (45% to 31%).

They are also more accepting of non-binary people (41% to 30%).

72% of those who see LGBTQIA representation are more likely to be comfortable with an LGBTQIA family member (versus 66% of those who don’t see that representation).

They are more likely to be comfortable if an LGBTQIA family with children moves into their neighborhood (79% to 72%).

They are also more likely to be comfortable starting a conversation with someone who is not straight (81% to 76%).

73% of those who have seen LGBTQIA representation first group would be happy if their doctor is gay, lesbian or bi (against 67% of those who haven’t seen recent LGBTQIA representation.

American Red Cross changes policy on blood donations for gay, bi men

The antiquated, yet still current practice is to ban men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating blood within 12 months of having sex with another man. But starting June 8, the wait time will be cut to three months.

The American Red Cross has changed its restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, and other men who have sex with other men (MSM).

Aside from gay and bisexual men, the policy also affects women who have sex with MSM, and donors with recent tattoos or piercings.

The antiquated, yet still current practice is to ban MSM from donating blood within 12 months of having sex with another man. But starting June 8, the wait time will be cut to three months.

This is not a pro-LGBTQIA move, however; instead, there’s severe shortage of blood donations in the US due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Earlier, in April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that: “The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges to the US blood supply. Donor centers have experienced a dramatic reduction in donations due to the implementation of social distancing and the cancellation of blood drives.”

The Red Cross’ policies were established in 1983 based on recommendations from the FDA to prevent the spread of HIV. At that time, the FDA implemented a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.

In 2015, during Pres. Barack Obama’s administration, that policy was eased to a ban on donations from men who had sex with the men in the past year.

In Twitter in 2015, the Philippine Red Cross was asked about its policy re blood donation of members of the LGBTQIA community. In its post, the organization stated that: “We do not discriminate. We allow people to donate blood for as long as they practice healthy lifestyle.”

According to the National Voluntary Blood Services Program (NVBSP) of the DOH, there are individuals disqualified from donating blood (known as “deferred” donors).

“A prospective donor may be deferred at any point during the collection and testing process. Whether or not a person is deferred temporarily or permanently will depend on the specific reason for disqualification (e.g. a person may be deferred temporarily because of anemia, a condition that is usually reversible). If a person is to be deferred, his or her name is entered into a list of deferred donors maintained by the blood center, often known as the ‘deferral registry’. If a deferred donor attempts to give blood before the end of the deferral period, the donor will not be accepted for donation. Once the reason for the deferral no longer exists and the temporary deferral period has lapsed, the donor may return to the blood and be re-entered into the system.”

As per DOH, those who may be deferred include:

Anyone who has ever used intravenous drugs (illegal IV drugs)

Men who have had sexual contact with other men

Anyone who has ever received clotting factor concentrates

Anyone with a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus)

Men and woman who have engaged in sex for money or drugs

Anyone who has had hepatitis

Anyone who has taken Tegison for psoriasis

Anyone who has risk factors for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) or “mad cow”

Following the changes announced by US FDA and the American Red Cross, no explicit policy update has been announced by the Philippine Red Cross, or the DOH on this.

LGB individuals have less contact with, and live geographically farther from siblings

LGB individuals had less frequent contact with, and lived geographically farther from their siblings. The pattern of effects was similar for bisexual and gay or lesbian individuals, and stronger for male than female sexual minority individuals.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual people tend to live geographically farther away from their brothers and sisters, and have less less frequent contact with them. This is according to new research from Australia, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

To compare the closeness of sibling relations between individuals with different sexual orientations, the study used data from an Australian national survey (Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey). The researchers analyzed data from 13,252 individuals with 35,622 individual‐sibling pairs.

Key results indicated that — when compared with heterosexual individuals — LGB individuals had less frequent contact with, and lived geographically farther from their siblings. The pattern of effects was similar for bisexual and gay or lesbian individuals, and stronger for male than female sexual minority individuals.

According to the researchers, the findings are consistent with theoretical perspectives highlighting the unique barriers to socioeconomic inclusion experienced by individuals from sexual minorities. They suggest that these barriers begin within the nuclear family.

As quoted by PsyPost, study author Perales said: “We know that people who identify as LGB tend to experience poorer outcomes across life domains than heterosexual people… The dominant explanation for this is that these individuals receive lower levels of social support from their family and the broader community. This is because non-heterosexuality remains a stigmatized and not fully accepted social status.”

Family support – or its lack – is an important issue for members of the LGBTQIA community. A 2016 study, for instance, noted that more than 42% of the individuals who self-identified as transgender or gender nonconforming reported a suicide attempt, and over 26% had misused drugs or alcohol to cope with transgender-related discrimination. After controlling for age, race/ethnicity, sex assigned at birth, binary gender identity, income, education, and employment status, family rejection was associated with increased odds of both behaviors. Odds increased significantly with increasing levels of family rejection.